]]>https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/08/26/rachel-cusk-coventry/feed/2johnselfMartin Amis’s novels—ranked!https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/08/24/martin-amiss-novels-ranked/
https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/08/24/martin-amiss-novels-ranked/#commentsSat, 24 Aug 2019 16:44:24 +0000http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/08/24/martin-amiss-novels-ranked/Martin Amis, the literary world’s oldest enfant terrible, is 70 years old tomorrow. Which sounds like a good time to ask: how’s his career going?

For the public good and the avoidance of doubt, I’ve ranked his fourteen novels here, from trex to twang.

(It’s paywalled, but if you register for free you should be able to view two articles per week. Mine first, of course!)

]]>https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/lila-savage-say-say-say/feed/0johnselfAnakana Schofield: Binahttps://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/anakana-schofield-bina/
https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/anakana-schofield-bina/#respondMon, 22 Jul 2019 18:48:35 +0000http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/anakana-schofield-bina/Click here to read my review in the Irish Times of Anakana Schofield’s novel Bina. (Elderly readers may recall that I praised her previous novel Martin John.) Unfortunately if you don’t live in Canada, you will probably only be able to buy it from there and have it shipped internationally—until an enterprising UK, US or Irish publisher picks it up.

]]>https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/anakana-schofield-bina/feed/0johnselfLucy Ellmann: Ducks, Newburyporthttps://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/lucy-ellmann-ducks-newburyport/
https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/lucy-ellmann-ducks-newburyport/#respondSun, 21 Jul 2019 08:46:32 +0000http://theasylum.wordpress.com/?p=8345Click here to read my review in The Sunday Times of Lucy Ellmann’s Booker-longlisted thousand-page, one-sentence novel Ducks, Newburyport. What would possess someone to write a book like this? And is it worth reading?

(It’s behind a paywall, but if you register with the Times / Sunday Times website, you can read two articles per week for free.)

]]>https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/lucy-ellmann-ducks-newburyport/feed/0johnselfJeanette Winterson: Frankisssteinhttps://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/jeanette-winterson-frankissstein/
https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/jeanette-winterson-frankissstein/#respondSat, 06 Jul 2019 20:58:11 +0000http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/jeanette-winterson-frankissstein/Click here to read my Irish Times review of Jeanette Winterson’s first novel in twelve years*, Frankissstein. Spoiler: it’s a lot better than the title suggests, and (on 24 July) has just been longlisted for the Booker Prize.